Concrete retaining walls in Owatonna MN - a slope that stays where you put it
Slope washing onto your lawn, or an old wall leaning out? We pour a concrete wall that holds the dirt back and lets water drain.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Do you need a concrete retaining wall for your Owatonna yard?
A concrete retaining wall in Owatonna is a poured concrete wall with drainage and backfill behind it that holds a slope back, so you get level ground you can use and keep the dirt off your lawn, patio and house.
Most calls start with a slope that's sliding, a yard you want flat enough to use, or an old timber or block wall that's giving up. The price moves with how long and tall the wall is, how much dirt we dig out and haul away, the ground it sits on, the drainage it needs and how easy it is to get a concrete truck to the spot. The schedule turns on the permit check, the weather and our pour calendar, and once I've seen the slope, you get your own figure in writing.
How do you know your slope needs a retaining wall?
Dirt spilling onto the lawn
If soil and mulch slide down after every hard rain, the slope is moving faster than grass can hold it. Each season it carries more dirt toward your patio, driveway or house, and the fix keeps getting bigger.
Old wall leaning out
A timber or block wall that tips forward or bulges in the middle is usually losing to the weight and water behind it. Once a wall starts leaning, it rarely straightens itself, and when it lets go, the slope comes down with it.
Wet ground at the base
Water seeping out at the bottom of a wall or pooling along it usually means nothing is draining the soil behind it. That water adds weight the wall wasn't built for, and in winter it freezes and pushes even harder.
How we build concrete retaining walls
First I look at the slope, how much room you have to the property line and where the water behind the wall will go, because a wall that can't drain is a wall in trouble. Then our crew digs out for the footing, the wide base the wall stands on, packs the subgrade, which is the dirt under that footing, and sets rebar, the steel inside that keeps the concrete from cracking apart under the soil's push. We set the forms, pour the wall and let it cure, the stretch where concrete gains its strength, before the drainage and backfill go in behind it. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you spend it on the footing and the drainage than on a fancy face, because nobody sees them once the dirt's back and they're what hold the wall in place. See why I'd put the money there?
A lot of walls go in because someone wants flat ground for something else. Once the slope is held back, that level spot is ready for a shed or workshop on a solid concrete floor, or for a backyard pool with a concrete pool deck around it, and planning the wall and the slab together keeps the water running the right way for both.
Cantilever wall on a wide footing
This is the wall most yards get, with an L-shaped footing tucked under the soil so the dirt's own weight helps hold it upright. It suits slopes where you want a firm, straight edge and room behind it for drainage.
Low terrace or garden wall
Shorter walls that step a yard into flat beds or a level lawn suit homeowners who want usable ground more than a big structure. They still get a proper footing and drainage, because a short wall that can't drain cracks and heaves too.
Smooth or textured face
A smooth face straight from the forms is the simplest and least costly finish, while a textured or patterned face costs more for the look. Both sit on the same footing and drainage, so pick the one you'll like looking at from the patio.
Get a free on-site estimate for your retaining wall
We reply within one business day to set up your free on-site estimate. I come out, look at the slope and write up your estimate, and there's no pressure to book.
(507) 599-0098- Based in
- Owatonna, MN 55060
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about a retaining wall in Owatonna?
Here's how a retaining wall job goes from your first call to the last load of backfill, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Reach us by phone or the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Tell us a little about the slope and what you want to use the ground for.
Walk the slope with me
I look at the spot, ask how you'll use it and talk through your options with you. You get a written estimate that spells out the prep, the reinforcement and the finish, so you can see where every dollar goes before you decide.
Plan the permit and date
We check with the city or county office early, then work out the permit side and a pour date together. When inspections are part of the job, we plan the work around them.
Pour, wait, then backfill
I'm on site with our crew from forming to finishing, and unlike a block wall, a poured wall needs a wait before the soil goes back in behind it. Before we leave, I go over how to care for your new wall.
Why Owatonna homeowners call Truegrade Owatonna Concrete for retaining walls
I write your estimate myself
I come out to look at the slope and write the estimate, and our crew does the work with me on site. The person who walked the drainage plan with you is standing there when it goes in.
Building in Owatonna since 2017
I learned this trade hauling forms and running the wheelbarrow, and I started this business in Owatonna in 2017. Nine years in, I still explain every line of the estimate and answer every question, even the small ones.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured, so the work in your yard is covered from the first shovel to the last of the backfill. Ask about it when I come out, and you'll know who you're hiring before you sign anything.
If your slope is on the move, call or send us the details and I'll come take a look.
Retaining walls, permits and digging in Owatonna
Whether your wall needs a permit is a question for the city's building inspections office, which issues building permits online. We check with them early on every job, and when a permit's needed, we help with the paperwork and plan the work around the inspections.
Every Minnesota excavator, homeowners included, is responsible for notifying Gopher State One Call of planned digging, so we make sure that call is in before anyone digs the footing. That dig goes deep, because building guides advise setting a wall's base below the seasonal frost line, and that line often sits much deeper in northern climates like ours. We're based in Owatonna and work in the cities around it, and we plan the same deep footing on wall jobs in Faribault and Waseca.
Questions about retaining walls in Owatonna
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost in Minnesota?
Retaining wall construction in Minnesota usually costs about $33 to $44 per square foot. Where your wall lands depends on the job site, how complex the design is and how much work the whole project takes, so your written estimate is the number to go by. Every wall we build is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Who issues building permits in Owatonna for a retaining wall?
The city's building inspections office issues them online, so that's the office to ask about your wall. If the wall sits below the ordinary high-water level of a lake, river or other public water, the normal high mark of that water, you also need a public waters work permit from the Minnesota DNR. A wall in that spot also has to meet floodplain rules that limit raising flood levels.
Who is allowed to build a retaining wall in Minnesota?
Anyone who contracts directly with you for more than one special skill must hold a residential building contractor or remodeler license from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. The state lists excavation and masonry and concrete as separate skills, and the concrete one covers poured walls and drain systems. Contractors who work in a single specialty without that license fall under the state's contractor registration program instead, so ask which one a contractor holds.
What causes a poured retaining wall to fail without drainage?
Water building up behind the wall can greatly raise the load on it and lead to leaks or freeze damage. Concrete wall guides call for designed drainage, such as drain rock, filter fabric and perforated drain outlets. Once the wall is in, keeping those outlets clear is your part of the job.
What is the best way to build a retaining wall close to my property line?
One technical comparison favors a poured wall on a tight lot line, because a block wall's geogrid, a reinforcing mesh buried in the soil behind it, would have to reach into your neighbor's yard. A poured wall stays up with a cantilever footing or tiebacks instead, so a narrow Owatonna lot may point you toward concrete.
How do I know if a poured concrete wall will work in my soil?
Highway guidance from Wisconsin says cantilever concrete walls suit firm soil that can carry a load best. Poor soil may call for piles, posts driven deep into the ground, and those raise the cost significantly. If the ground looks soft or wet when I come out, we'll talk it through before we plan the wall.
Concrete work that often goes with a wall
When the wall frees up level ground for a shed or workshop, a poured floor gives that building a flat, solid base that won't shift under it.
Cutting a slope back for a pool usually means a wall and a deck together, and pouring both with one plan keeps water draining away from each.
Retaining wall service areas around Owatonna
Truegrade Owatonna Concrete is based in Owatonna, MN, and builds retaining walls in the cities around it. The 10 cities below have their own page here, including Albert Lea and Northfield, and we work in others nearby too.
Owatonna, MN
Call about your retaining wall today
Photos of the slope and the wall's rough length and height help a lot, so have them ready when you call (507) 599-0098 or send the form.